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Thursday, June 14, 2012

Blooming canna = summer is here

Like so many tropical plants, cannas love the heat. They take their sweet time during the cooler weather of spring, but as the thermometer starts to climb in May and June, they kick into high gear.

I’ve been keeping a close eye on this clump of cannas in the front yard and I swear their leaves have doubled in size in just a matter of weeks. On Sunday I spotted the first emerging flower stalks, and now one is blooming and the other will be in a few days.

Who cares what the calendar says, to me there is no clearer sign that summer is here!

P.S. I grew this canna from seed. The official name is Canna × generalis ‘Spritzii’.

Talk about self-replicating! This started out as ONE plant, grown from ONE seed. I wish I hadn't lost the tag with the cultivar. I love it because it's a relatively simple flower (instead of the frilly concoctions often seen on hybrids) that draws hummingbirds like crazy.

I'm reviving my interest on Cannas this year, which waned before when the virus managed to creep in to the ones we have. It's wonderful isn't it when plants that is a personal hallmark of the start of the summer season does what it's supposed to do :) I like the way how cannas grow and become even more lush later on.

Cannas are ever popular here because they grow so well in our summer heat. But all you see in the nurseries are the fancy hybrids which, in my experiences, don't bloom anywhere near as long as the simpler species types.

I haven't heard of the canna virus being a problem here. Knock on wood...

Oh yes I completely agree, the Canna is the perfect harbinger of summer...which is why all of mine are stalled at about 10" tall with one or two leaves. Hopefully soon we'll get some heat and they'll catch up with yours (which are beautiful).